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Salmon angling Update

Eastern Region

Bernard Devenney reports that no salmon have been reported on the River Fane over the last week. Water levels in the river have dropped further. Bernard Devenney had good sea trout fishing on a number of evenings. The water is in great condition for sea trout fishing but more water is needed to bring additional salmon into the river. Many anglers are waiting for the salmon run to start fishing.

Mark Sweeney from Island Fishing Tackle reports that the River Glyde is fishing well for salmon at the moment. Most of the fish weighed between 6 and 12 lbs. Fishing is on the basis of catch and release.

Castletown River, Dundalk, Co. Louth

Sea trout has slowed on the Castletown River in Dundalk. The best fish recorded this week was a 1.5lb fresh run sea trout which was taken in the Toberona area.

Details of day permits, memberships and events are available from the Dundalk and District Brown Trout Angling Association at www.browntroutanglers.com

Water levels have dropped in the River Boyne over the last week. Sea trout continue to be taken in the Oldbridge area at McGahons and McCullough's. Salmon fishing has improved on the River Boyne this week and there are a lot more anglers fishing in the Oldbridge area. Salmon have been reported taken from Oldbridge to Slane. Mark Sweeney caught and released a fine 20lb salmon on the Boyne on Monday. After a terrific battle this superb fish was landed and returned carefully to the river. Reports have also been received of good numbers of salmon being observed moving upstream at Navan. Two salmon were reportedly caught on the Kells Blackwater over the last few days.

Southern Region

Munster Blackwater

The month of July produced 169 salmon for a total of only 183 rod days. This is the sixth best total for the month since I took over the Lodge at the beginning of 1986. It is the best catch for the month since the year 2000, when 263 were caught for 750 rod days. It also includes the two Best Fish of the Season which were both caught on fly on the same day on Beat 3 - Ballinaroone by Mossy McElligott (12.4lb) & Tim Quinlivan (11.9lb). There have also been at least four very large fish lost in the second half of the month.

South Western Region

Western Region

Connemara

Jim Stafford, fishery manager at the Erriff Fishery, reports on good fishing over the last 10 days:
Heavy rainfall on the 20th/21st July brought a nice spate, dropping slowly over the following days, but more rainfall brought a further rise at the end of the month. Fresh salmon and sea trout continued to enter the river during this period with a lot of fish showing on Beat 9. A total of 48 salmon (of which 30 were released) and 12 sea trout were recorded for the period – however the catch of sea trout was relatively poor in comparison to the number of trout in the river and in Tawnyard Lough.
Dr. Eoin Bresnihan, Oughterard, caught 2 in the Sea Pool and Gauge Pool - best fish estimated at 6lbs. Mr. Gerard Garnier, France, caught 12 in 2 weeks fishing all on Cascades. Mr. Patrick Seigne, Cork has 3 in one day from the Bridge Pool, School House & Tawnyard Potholes on Allys Shrimp. Mr. Garrett Poynton’s party of 5 rods had 8, including a first and a second on fly for Tom Keane. Michael O’Halloran released a fish estimated at 5lbs, taken on a Cascade at Altamonts Dam. Mrs. Hazel Jackson, Dorset, caught a fish of 6.5lbs in the Garden Pool on a Blue & Silver fly. Mr. Tony O’Regan released two taken on a Shrimp Fly in the Falls Pool. Mr. Jim Langdon and Mr. John Theobald, Derbyshire, caught 8 fish. Mr. George Maloney, Cavan caught a 4lbs fish in the Bridge Pool on a Claret Shrimp. Master Christopher Johnk, Germany caught his first ever salmon in the Garden Pool on a Cascade. Two days later Dr. Tim O’Brien, Wicklow, caught his first ever salmon on a Blue Badger in the Bridge Pool on Beat 9. Mr. Anthony Tindal and Mr. Richard Page caught 3 on Beat 9. Mr. Bernard Taller, angling journalist from Germany caught his first Erriff salmon on a Cascade in the Falls Pool and lost another about 5 minutes later. Dr. Ken Whelan and Dr. David Solomon caught 6 sea trout on Tawnyard Lough. The last day of the month was successful for Mr. Tom Harrington, Limerick, who released two fish taken on a Cascade from Black Banks and the Gauge Pool. At the time of writing the report fresh fish are still entering the river and prospects look good for the coming weeks. To enquire about fishing on the Erriff River, or accommodation at Aasleagh Lodge, contact Jim at 095 42252, or email erriff.fish@iol.ie

Nigel Rush, fishery manager at Kylemore Abbey, reports on a very good month of July for the fishery: The long awaited rain after an eight week dry spell arrived on the 1st July. Naturally enough, the backlog of fish that had been held back in the estuary took the opportunity to run the river with a vengeance. Watching the fish battle their way up the Derryinver falls was akin to being in Alaska at the height of a salmon run. It was hard to concentrate your gaze on any one area of the falls as fish were everywhere.
Prior to the rain the river had dried up to a level not seen in forty years. Surprisingly, fish of up to 1.5lbs were able to travel over the counter weir with only three quarters of an inch flowing over it. The larger fish were unable to manage an entry when the levels dropped below 1.25inches but amazingly, good salmon did succeed at the latter.
Water levels were constantly topped up throughout the month and every day of the month, with regard to conditions, was worth a cast. The very few days of the month that we blanked were due to thundery conditions.
A total of 62 salmon/grilse were landed for the month, a record July over the past ten years of my keeping records. Most of the fish were small, averaging just 3lbs but well fed and well shaped fish. The larger grilse are on the way, the small ‘pipers’ are normally the precursor to the main grilse run so hopefully this good July run is a bonus for this season. 31 fish were returned, so an average of 50% hopefully live to swim another day. As I compile this report, 2nd August, the success continues with a further seven fish for the first two days of the month.
Notable mentions are those of Matthew Davy who landed his first ever grilse at 3lbs and Conor McCormick who landed his first ever grilse of 3.5lbs. Conor is the third generation of his family to have caught fish on these waters. Of the multiple catchers, Geoffrey Fitzjohn landed 6 fish for 2 visits, Seamus O’Neil 7 for 3 visits, Neil Spellacy 3 for 1 day and Richard McDowell along with Jonathon Murray 6 fish to 7.5lb for 1 day’s effort.
Sea trout fishing has been hit and miss as lake conditions have been far from suitable with the permanent southerly winds that allow for poor drifting conditions. Warm, sultry and heavy atmospheric weather allowed us just 87 sea trout for the month so September hopefully should turn in our favour.

Fish are still entering in good numbers and if previous years are anything to go by and we have a consistency of the run becoming a week later each year... we should be peaking the first week of September.
To enquire about fishing at Kylemore Abbey, contact Nigel at 095 41178, or 095 41161, or email nigelrush@eircom.net

Galway Weir

The run of grilse at the Galway Fishery has certainly slowed down this week, with 21 salmon landed for the week. Tom Power from Galway landed a 4.5lbs fish on shrimp, while Dublin tackle dealer Pat Cleere took a 4.5lbs fish on fly. Athenry angler Declan Tuffy had a 5.5lbs fish on fly, while Jim Barry from Cork took 2 grilse on fly. Tipperary man Liam Young landed a 4.5lbs grilse on fly, while Denis Dennison from Limerick had a fine 7lbs grilse, also on fly. Fintan Murphy from Galway took the family bragging rights, landing 2 grilse on shrimp, while son Adrian landed one. Bob Lawlor landed a 2lbs grilse on fly, while Stephen Buchanan had a 4.5lbs fish on fly. Bill Marshall had a nice grilse on shrimp, and Michael Richton from the UK had a 4.5lbs grilse on fly. Local angler Michael Hegarty had 2 grilse of 5lbs and 7lbs on shrimp.
Although fishing has slowed down, there is still a very good head of fish in the river, and fresh fish are running every day. With 2 gates open, conditions are still good for fly fishing, and prospects remain good for the coming week.

North Western Region

Angling effort was down considerably once again on the River Moy in comparison to previous weeks, with very few anglers fishing over the Bank Holiday weekend. Despite this, the Moy reported 741 salmon, with the Moy Fishery accounting for 104. A total of 54 were caught at the Ridge Pool, where George Heuston, Donegal had two to the fly, his best 4.5lbs while Edward Kelly, Cavan, had one of 4lbs on the fly. Trevor Wylie, N.Ireland had success on both the Ridge Pool and Cathedral Beat, catching one of 6.6lbs with a spinner on the Ridge, beating this with a nice salmon of 8.6lbs from the Cathedral. Father and son Shane and Jan Jenkins, Wexford, both had success while fishing the Cathedral Beat, with Jan catching two, his best 4.5lbs and Shane catching and releasing one of 3lbs.

At the Ash Tree Pool, George Heuston again had good fortune, landing two with the fly while Seamus McEleney, Donegal, also had two. The Freshwater Beat also produced a few fish, where Bernard Mannion banked two with the spinner, his best 5lbs.

Upstream, Ballina Salmon Anglers water continued to fish well, and Mount Falcon had a very successful week, where the Miller/Perks party of four from the UK had great sport, catching a total of 69 salmon for the week, 26 of those on the fly, and releasing 39 of these. The Knockmore and Attymass waters continued to fish well, as did Coolcronan, where the Jenkins pair from Wexford again had success.

Byrne’s, Armstrong’s and Gannon’s also produced their share for the week, as did the Foxford Fishery, where Brian Fozard, UK, had three while Dermot Lavery, Monaghan had two. Rinanney again had a bumper week, while Foxford Salmon Anglers water and the Foxford town water enjoyed good fishing. At Cloongee, father and son Hans Jürgen and Oliver Vollbrecht, Germany, had two apiece, with Michael Conway also catching one. The East Mayo Anglers’ water also fished well, where Dermot Drain, N.Ireland caught two, James Bonner, UK, also had two while Achim Roos, Germany had one on the fly.

Ballisodare Fishery

The Ballisodare River continued to fish very well with 189 salmon caught for the week and 114 of these fish released. Dermot Glennon landed the heaviest salmon of the week weighing 10lbs, caught on a Willie Gun. Fly fishing was once again popular in Ballisodare with John Scanlon and Niall Corrigan both successfully landing salmon of 7lbs on the fly. Visiting anglers Clive O’Neill and John Fahey caught and released 2 salmon each while father and son, Denis and Gary Barrett enjoyed their day’s fishing at Ballisodare catching and releasing three salmon apiece.

Owenmore River

Frequent showers in the Bangor Erris area have kept the Owenmore topped up throughout the week, leaving it in great condition for migrating salmon, and in an almost ideal condition for fly fishing. Among those to catch salmon this week were David Solomon, U.K. who landed a fine fresh run 7lbs salmon, and pictured below, Markus Müller, Bangor, who landed a magnificent
11lbs fish.

Newport River

Water conditions on the Newport River have been described as ‘ideal’ over the week, despite this, few anglers took to the water. However, those who did fish enjoyed good fishing, with Dr Noel Cahill catching two grilse of 3lbs and 3.5lbs. Kit Westropp had three sea trout weighing between 1lbs and 2.75lbs, while Barry Kenny had a good week, catching three grilse at 3lbs, 3.5lbs and 5.5lbs.

Burrishoole Fishery

Plenty of salmon were observed in Lough Furnace over the week, however only four were caught for the week. Dermott Seymour, Galway caught two at 4lbs and 4.5lbs, while Bill Bullick also had one of 4.5lbs.

Northern Region

River Drowes

The Drowes had fair water levels all week hovering around at just under 0.5 metres on the gauge at the Four Masters Bridge. The fishery was fairly well attended and there were good returns of grilse caught as the good run of grilse continued. Given below are some of the catches for the week.
On Monday, Michael Wilson recorded 2 grilse weighing 5 & 6lb caught Red Roof on a fly. On Tuesday, Thomas Colgan accounted for 2 grilse weighing 3lb each caught on a Flying ‘C’ lure from the Sea Pools. Alfred Vanderwalle registered a 4lb grilse caught on a fly from The Black Hole. John O’Neill recorded 2 grilse weighing 4lb each caught from the Sea Pools on fly and Ernie Parkinson logged 2 grilse weighing 3 & 4lb caught on shrimp from The Washstones, releasing one of these. On Friday, Geoffray Bogard two clients recorded 2 grilse caught weighing 3 & 5lb caught on spinner & worm and Andy Lattimer accounted for a 6lb fish caught on a fly from The Crooked Hole. On Saturday, Eamon McCoolian recorded a 5lb grilse caught from Red Roof on a spinner. Gerry McMahon registered 2 grilse weighing 5 & 6lb caught from the Sea Pools on shrimp and Gerry Brett landed a 3lb grilse caught on a fly from the Island Pool. On Sunday, Douglas Carol recorded a 4lb grilse caught on a fly from The Meadow.
Rain showers are forecast for the coming week which should ensure water levels remain good on the river and prospects look good once again for the coming week

Lough Melvin

Lough Melvin was quiet this week and there were few rods out fishing the same. I have heard of no salmon caught for the week. There were only a limited number of rods fishing for trout also and results were variable. A few anglers reported good fishing for sonaghan on occasion in the deep water off the Rossinver Fishery and the Schoolhouse.

Owenea Fishery

The river received a fair flood reading 0.27 metres on Monday. The river then dropped quickly to only reasonable levels until a good flood on Friday which read 0.40 metres. This gave good water for the day and also for Saturday. By Sunday, the gauge had dropped to 0.20 metres though this still gave good conditions for the fly on the lower beats. The gauge average for the week was decent reading 0.24 metres. The fishery was reasonably well attended with 40 visiting rods fishing for the week.
The run of salmon picked up a little and there decent numbers of grilse caught for the week. On Monday, John Breslin recorded a 7lb fish caught from beat 5 on a spinner. On Tuesday, Frankie Byrne registered an 8lb salmon caught on the fly from Yellow Banks on beat 6. George Friel had a good day recording 2 salmon caught on the fly from beat 8. These weighed 11½ & 4lb with the 4lb fish returned. The fish fell to a Wilkinson Shrimp fly (11½lb) and a Bann Special shrimp fly. Brendan O’Rourke accounted for a 5lb grilse caught on the fly from beat 8. On Thursday I accounted for a small grilse and lost a better fish after a short fight from beat 8 on the fly and a local angler accounted for 4lb grilse, also caught from beat 8. On Friday, Peter Grahame landed 2 grilse on a spinner from beat 7 with both fish weighing in around the 4lb mark. William Foster recorded a 5lb grilse caught on a spinner from Yellow Banks on beat 6. On Saturday, Alan Watson accounted for a 4¾lb grilse caught on the fly from beat 8. Tommy Irvine registered a 7lb grilse caught on the spinner from beat 8 and Davy Arbuckle recorded a 4lb grilse caught on the fly from beat 8. On Sunday, Jim Haughey logged a 3lb grilse caught on the fly from beat 9 losing another of some 5lb at the net.
The forecast is for some rain around mid week and so we would hope that this gives some nice conditions on the river. The run of grilse should increase over the coming week and prospects are looking good.

For info/bookings etc on the Owenea Fishery – Tel: 074 9551141. (9am to 1pm April to May & 7am to 1pm June to Sept).

Loughs Agency area

New Regulations

The Loughs Agency has introduced regulations in response to declining stocks in the Foyle system, and in particular the River Finn. The Loughs Agency has been forced to take action to protect and conserve wild Atlantic Salmon and to ensure their future sustainability.

These Regulations were made to take account of the Agency's national and international obligations including the requirements of the European Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of Wild Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora) which states that "if a species is included under the Directive (of which North Atlantic Salmon are), measures must be taken to maintain or restore them to favourable status in their natural range.

The failure of the River Finn salmon stocks to meet sustainability targets, is of principle concern. The Loughs Agency has undertaken these of actions which will

. Suspend commercial salmon fishing
. Direct that recreational angling in the River Finn and Foyle become strictly catch and release.

These measures should be seen as part of a much wider programme that includes juvenile salmon habitat rehabilitation, anti poaching efforts, pollution control and raising concerns over salmon predators.

These regulations will be enforced from Tuesday 15th June 2010.

Further information on catch and release for recreational anglers can be found on the Loughs Agency website at www.loughs-agency.org.

Trout Angling Update

East Coast

River Fane

Water levels have dropped again in the Fane this week. Anglers fishing for wild brown trout have found the fishing a little bit tougher recently. However, a number of wild brown trout in the region of 1lb have been taken during the last week. There are some hatches of olives during the day but the sedges are sparse in the evenings. Shane McNamee kindly got back with the following answer regarding the Yellow Sally. I hope that this helps.

Shane says "I have often heard it said that trout don’t like ‘taste’ of Yellow Sally’s, and will ignore them especially in rivers that contain a lot of other up-winged flies, sedges, alternative food sources for the trout to feed on. (similar to the way they wont' take a wasp because they know the wasps warning markings). This is also mentioned in some of the older angling books, I think it is in JR Harris Anglers Entomology, but I am not certain of that, I will have to check it out. The answer is probably in the question. Why is the YELLOW sally such a bright yellow? And totally un-camouflaged? Not like other up-winged flies or sedges, probably because its bright yellow colour is a warning sign of bad taste to fish and birds.

or Matt Campbell who also provides guiding services on the Fane and Castletown Rivers. Matt can be contacted at 087 6757550

Rivers Dee and Glyde

Some reasonable brown trout fishing was reported from the River Dee. Trout have been taken upstream of Ardee. The water is clear and dropping. There has not been much brown trout angling activity on the Glyde.

Castletown River, Dundalk, Co. Louth

Sea trout has slowed on the Castletown River in Dundalk. The best fish recorded this week was a 1.5lb fresh run sea trout which was taken in the Toberona area.

Details of day permits, memberships and events are available from the Dundalk and District Brown Trout Angling Association at www.browntroutanglers.com

Brown trout fishing has continued to be slow on the River Boyne and its tributaries. Colm Lynch from East Coast Angling reports that the Boyne at Navan is dropping and clearing but the brown trout fishing around Navan has been slow. Many trout anglers have not fished over the last week but those who have have reported good catches of small fish. The best trout reported during the last week weighed 1.5lbs and was taken in the lower Blackcastle area. The cooler weather has affected the fly hatches and olives are still hatching during the day but sedge fishing is not as good as it should be in the evenings.

Trout Angling Competition

A competition is taking place for the members of the Navan and District Angling Club on Sunday 8th August. There is a junior and a senior competition and fishing will take place from 2pm until 7pm. Meet at the Ramparts Navan in advance. If you would like to find out more in advance please contact Colm at the address below. The Navan and District Angling Club will be launching their new website and fly-tying school at a functions in Smiths of the Bridge after the competition.

Angling guide Marc O'Regan reports that the Boyne in the Trim area has dropped to near normal height again. There has been little angling activity in the Trim area. Marc recons that the fresh water has helped matters and the fishing will pick up again over the last few days. There are hatches of blue winged olive during the day and the sherry spinner is on the water and in the evenings. Sedges are plentyfiul in the late evening.

Pat McLoughlin reports that water levels in the Kells Blackwater have continued to drop but still have a bit to go before reaching optimum fishing conditions. Binoit Sacha from France fished with Pat on the Kells Blackwater on Thursday and Friday of last week the 29th and 30th July. Binoit had lots of trout each with his best fish weighing in at 1.25lbs. Pat reckons that Binoit had circa 20 trout on each of days. At the moment blue winged olive hatches are good in the early afternoon and trout are feeding on the sherry spinner in the evenings. There are also morning duns but sedges are quite sparse.

John Higgins reports that wild brown trout fishing on the River Liffey is hit and miss at the moment. John fished himself on Bank Holiday Monday and had lots of trout the best of which measured 40cms. This fine fish was taken on a very small grey duster. John spent Tuesday with two juvenile anglers aged between 9-11 years old, neither of whom had ever fly fished before. At the end of their first fishing session both had caught their first wild brown trout on the fly. There are lots of small midges on the river during the day and sherry spinners and sedges in the evenings. John commented that although the fishing is tough and challenging at the moment the quality of trout is superb and the size of fish seems to be increasing year on year. 2lb fish have been common enough so far this season.

If you fancy spending a day on the River Liffey around Newbridge with angling guide John Higgins, he can be contacted at jjhiggins@o2.ie

Lough Nagarnaman

Lough Nagarnaman is fishing well at the moment many anglers still catching quality fish.

Ballyhitt Lakes, Wexford

James Pettitt reports that trout fishing at the Ballyhitt fishery has been good since the stocking Wednesday 28th July. Plenty of trout averaging 2lbs+ are being taken on the fly lake. There have been no really big fish taken over the last week but they are sure to come on the feed soon. Fish are still feeding on the daddy-longlegs and there is lots of fly life.

If you fancy trying for one of Ballyhitt Fisheries big fish give James a call at087 6796900.

The Monaghan Blackwater
The Monaghan Blackwater is fishing well for brown trout. Last week a local angler caught a 6lb 4oz brown trout on a meps spinner. There is good fly fishing to be had on this river at the moment, anglers are catching plenty of trout on dry flies, small sedges and clink hammers. Upstream nymphing is very effective on this river at the moment.Emy Lough, Co. Monaghan
Emy Lough has been fishing extremely well. Brown trout are averaging 1.5lb with plenty of fish around the 3lb mark. Depending on conditions dry fly fishing can be excellent, wet fly fishing has also been very good. Many fish have been taken on Connemara blacks, sedges, bibbios and peter ross. Fishing on this lake is controlled by Emy and district anglers. There are boats available for hire and good fly fishing from the shore, day tickets are available. For further information contact Dick Kiernan at Venture Sports at 047 81495.Lock More, Co. Monaghan
Lock More has been fishing very well for free rising brown trout. Anglers are taking fish on calm evenings using dry sedges. Wet fly fishing has also been working very well, particularly when there is a good ripple on the water. Claret and mallard pattern have been working very well. Again, fishing is by permit, boats can be hired from as little as €5 depending on fishing times. For further information contact Dick Kiernan at Venture Sports at 047 81495.Animoe, Co. Wicklow
The fly fishing lake at Animoe has been fishing extremely well. Various methods are working; one angler during the week had a 6lb rainbow trout on a small dry midge pattern. Other anglers on a the lake using vivas and bloody butchers have been catching as many as 10 fish in a session, good numbers of fish of 3lb weight. It is worth noting that fly fishing lessons are available at reasonable prices from Brian Nally, Brian is an excellent teacher. For further information Brian can be contacted at 0404 45470.

LAUNE ANGLERS WATERS AND BEAT 3 (REPORT OF BILLY DOWNES, CLUB SECRETARY)Angling Report 2nd August (Email to Laune Angling Report)
There have been 20 fish reported for the week. There was 2 fish reported from Beat 3. The Laune fished well on Monday and Tuesday and again on Saturday. Yesterday Sunday was disappointing with only one fish being caught among about 10 anglers at Johnston's Coffey's, Broderick's and Johnston's accounted for most of the fish but fish were met on all stretches during the week. There were a good few stories of good lost fish.RIVER LEE
40 salmon caught for the week on the river Lee.

RIVER LEE (ESB FISHERY)

A total of 9 fish caught for the week.

RIVER BANDON
35 salmon caught on the Bandon river.

RIVER ILEN

27 salmon caught with an average weight of 8lbs.

COOMHOLA RIVER

10 salmon caught for the week – best fish weighing 10lbs.

Shannon

Lough Sheelin

Week Ending Sunday August 1st, 2010

The lake fished well during the week. Trout were mainly caught dry fly fishing using very small sedge but some wet fly fishing proved successful as well. There was a small hatch of green peter on the lake late in the evening from 10am onwards.

The L.S.T.P.A will be running the McDonnell trout fishing competition on Saturday August 7th, this is an open competition, 11am to 6pm from Kilnahard pier, contact Eamon Ross @ 087 9436655 or Thomas Lynch 087 9132033 for further information.

A total of 96 fish were recorded for the week with a lot of small fish about 1 lb in weight being caught. All trout except for the causalities were released.

Thomas Harton, Kilnaleck, Cavan – a large number of small trout were caught during the week dry fly fishing, fish averaged from 1½ - 2 lbs.

Michael Kelly, Dublin – 17 wild trout were caught during the week, with the best on Friday at 3 lbs. All fish were caught on the dry fly and all were released.

Brenda Montgomery

Lough Owel

It’s all happening on the fly fishing scene as we go to print this week. Lough Owel has started to produce cracking trout on the Green Peter and Murrough. We have a great photo of one of Lough Owel's top anglers back in action after an illness. Yes Andy Boyle better known in the Angling World as the “Nodger” is back fighting fit and fired up for the coming Lough Owel competitions. Great to see you back on the lake Andy. I spent a few late nights on Owel, and photographed some local and visiting anglers with fine catches. Last week we ventured out onto Lough Owel and checked out the Peter and Murrough situation. Sure enough some fly life was buzzing around late at night. It was a case of hit and miss some nights, but if you were in the right place just at dark and the Sedge hatch started you were in business. One of the nights I fished Owel I was joined by Pad Liddy of Mullingar Golf Club. Pat is a dab hand at the fishing game and we boated 7 trout on the night, some released. No real monsters but plenty of action even before dark. On Friday night Thomas McMullen dropped down and we had a few real Owel crackers. That night fly hatches were scarce, but the fish we caught made up for it. Earlier in the week Andy Boyle and Mick McCormack also hit it right, and produced some super trout. Many anglers are flocking to Owel for the Peter fishing, and in the coming week more good trout will come on line.

Galway and Mayo

Western Lakes

Lough Mask saw the annual pilgrimage of hundreds of trout anglers, for the 2010 World Cup Trout Competition. This competition, which has been running since 1950, continues to draw a large entry from around Ireland and overseas, all keen to be crowned the World Cup champion. Generous sponsorship from Burke Boats, Hardy Greys, Irish Angler and the World Cup organising committee ensured that the prizes would be very sought after, and all that remained was whether the fish would play ball.
The first day of heats, Thursday, saw very poor conditions, with flat calm and humid weather keeping the fish down. A very poor return of 10 trout by 9 competitors saw most of the lucky qualifiers pulled from the hat, with Stanley McCart taking the heat honours with 2 trout for 2.83lbs.
The rest of the weekend, however, produced much better fare, with suitable weather and winds making for decent angling conditions. Friday saw 96 trout weighed in, with Michael Gough taking the honours with 5 trout for 6.27lbs. On Saturday, 83 trout were landed, with Nigel Greene qualifying first with 4 trout for 5.32bs. The last heat on Sunday saw a further 80 trout landed, top honours going to Martin McGorrian with 5 trout for 7.06lbs.
There was considerable tension and excitement as competitors assembled for the final day on Monday, and the catch of 79 trout matched the previous dew day’s great sport. The eventual winner was Mike Keady, from Moycullen, Co. Galway. Mike is a well-known competition angler and flytier, and the announcement of his popular win was greeted with raucous cheers, particularly from the Galway contingent, always happy to get one over on their Mayo neighbours! Mike had only one fish in the boat by 3p.m., but landed a further 4 before the finish to take the title by a clear margin. His total of 5 trout for 6.89lbs was over 2.5lbs ahead of his nearest rival, and left little room for argument. Most of his fish came on a mayfly tied for him by Harold O’Toole. He received the World Cup trophy, a 19ft Anglers Fancy Burke Boat, Honda 4 stroke outboard, crystal and a Hardy/Greys rod.

Lough Carra has been quieter over the last week, with most local anglers either competing or boating for other competitors during the World Cup on Lough Mask. Sedge hatches are continuing, especially in the evenings, and trout fishing should continue to provide good sport here over the next few weeks.

Trout fishing on Lough Corrib is really picking up again, with anglers enjoying good sport, both on fly, dap and trolling. Anglers are reporting a lot of small fish continuing to come to the fly, with plenty of larger trout now feeding on the surface also. Good hatches of sedge are coming off in the evening time, from 6p.m. onwards, providing plenty of sport. Charlie Carter and Mick Connor from Offaly landed 5 trout for 7.5lbs over 2 days dapping. Willie Marshall, Molly Cunningham and Aisling Toner, from Northern Ireland, landed 7 trout over 4 evenings to wet fly. Iggy Madded and Tom Ashton from Mallow had good sport on dry fly, landing 5 trout for their day out.
Donal Connolly from Nonaim Lodge near Oughterard, reports on some good fishing for his guests. A lot of fish are showing and moving, the majority of which are in the smaller range of 0.75 to 1lb, but we have been picking up some bigger fish also. We have found the larger fish have moved to the flies but are coming short and are just not "on" yet, as we move further into August we should see increased activity from these larger fish as they become more active.
However Steve Wellard and Jenny Cooper from Norfolk, along with Sheffield couple Steve Hodgson and Karen Bird, had excellent sport over 5 days fishing wet fly on Corrib. They ended up with a total of 33 trout in the 1 to 2 lb range with the best fish falling to Steve Wellard with a 2.5lb fish. Karen and Jenny also each hooked and lost a salmon on wet fly on their final day of fishing. The party of 4 also caught countless smaller fish which have been very active in the last few weeks - a good sign for the future. Donal also mentions that himself and Connie have upgraded their B&B, and the increased capacity and increased room size makes them much more flexible for larger groups and competitive on price. To enquire about fishing or accommodation at Nonaim Lodge, contact Donal or Connie on 085 7364830, or email info@fishingcorrib.com .
Brendan Duffy also reported good fishing on wetfly and dapping out of Derrymoyle, with 3 anglers landing 6 trout and a salmon on Tuesday the 3rd, mainly to artificial mayfly patterns, and Brendan himself also taking 3 trout for 4.5lbs in one day last week while dapping mayfly patterns again. Thanks to Brendan for the report.

Mayo and Sligo

Lough Conn and Cullin

The Loughs fished well over the week, including some interesting results during recent ladies and juvenile angling competitions. Fishing out of Gortnorabbey, Ian Wise had one trout just under 2lbs taken on a dry fly, while Padraig Traynor had two trout totaling 3lbs. Fishing out of Kelly’s of Cloghans, Peter Rooney and daughter, had four trout over two days, their best 1.5lbs, while Gerry Fox, Sligo had two trout for 3lbs, while Lawson Clements, also Sligo had two trout for 4lbs. From Pontoon Bridge Hotel, regular visitors from Cavan, Neil Shevlin and Ian Daly enjoyed success catching five trout over two days on Conn and Cullin, all to dry flies, with their best weighing 1.5lbs.

Both a junior and ladies angling competition were held on Lough Conn recently, in conjunction with Crossmolina Annual Festival. In the junior competition, 45 competitors took part, fishing from 22 boats. A total of 32 fish were caught and weighed, ranging from perch to pike and trout. The winner of the competition was David Crean, Cloghans, with a pike of 8.5lbs, second place went to Luke Browne, Brackwansha with a pike of 7.4lbs while third was won by Lorcan Loftus, Crossmolina with a pike of 7.1lbs. In the ladies competition, Merel Taal (originally of Holland) took first with a pike of 6.6lbs, second went to Mary Mulligan, Crossmolina while third went to Caoimhe Loftus also of Crossmolina.

Lough Arrow

The hatches of sedges on Lough appear to be fading, with trout now feeding on perch-fry, despite this some good angling was had on Arrow. Peter Dunn had four trout, between 2lbs and 3.5lbs. Dave Cadnam had a good week, catching six in total, his best weighing 4lbs. David Gray again had good sport, catching four up to 3.5lbs. Thomas Walsh had two trout for the week while the best trout caught was a fine 5lbs trout for Francie White.

Lough na Leibe

Fishing improved slightly last week, where large numbers of damsels and olives continued to hatch. Early morning and late in the evening had fish up feeding in the surface. The damsel nymph fished well in the shallows, with a number of large rainbow trout coming to the net. For trout feeding in the surface a size 14 Olive Shuttlecock Buzzer and a size 14 Olive Shipman’s Buzzer produced good results. A total of 22 trout were caught for the week with 17 trout being returned. The 6th leg of the Lough na Leibe fly fishing competition will be held on Sunday 22nd August at 12.30pm, where all members of the Ballymote and District Angling Club are welcome to take part.

Ballin Lough

Ballin Lough fished well over the week, with 36 anglers averaging two trout each on their excursions. A total of 72 trout were caught, with 37 of these released. Jimmy Gibbons caught and released six trout in total, the best of these weighing 4lbs. Mattie Fahy and friend, Roscommon had a total of nine trout, with their best 3.5lbs. Gordon Mc Nicolas and Timmy Deasy had eight trout, releasing six and their best was also 3.5lbs. Nymphs, Muddlers and Daddys again have proved the most successful flies.

Donegal

Lough Melvin

Lough Melvin was quiet this week and there were few rods out fishing the same. I have heard of no salmon caught for the week. There were only a limited number of rods fishing for trout also and results were variable. A few anglers reported good fishing for sonaghan on occasion in the deep water off the Rossinver Fishery and the Schoolhouse.

Northern Ireland

Eskragh Lough

The Irish Ladies Fly-Fishing Association held their third trial for the 2010 season on Eskragh Lough near Dungannon on Sunday 25th July 2010. One further trial will be held before the end of the season in Co Kerry and the results will be used to select the team to represent Ireland at the Ladies International Flyfishing Championships to be held on Bewl Water, Kent in 2011.

With many of the women having travelled over 100 miles to enjoy the views on the way to Eskragh that morning, they were relieved to see a nice ripple on the lake, light winds and overcast conditions – perfect fishing weather – when they arrived. The competition started at 11am and ended at 5pm.

Jenny Casey from Clane, Co Kildare, was drawn with Campbell Baird as her boatman and within 25 minutes of the start was catching fish in front of the reedbed near the lodge. Jenny caught ten fish during the day, one of which was 61cms (about 6lbs) and had a beautiful full tail. Her first 7 were caught with a combination of a blob, a snail imitation and a buzzer, then her final 3 on small dry flies at the top of the lake.

Orla Walsh from Newtown Cloghans also had a great day and also caught ten fish. Her boat partner Jean Johnston caught two fish, one a beautiful 51cm fish (about 5 lbs) on a Montana which Fred from the Lodge had recommended.

Top boatman was Joe Quinn from Newtown Cloghans - his two anglers caught 12 fish between them.

The 7 ladies competing caught 44 fish during the day – a fantastic result which reflects well on Eskragh Lough – a superb venue with great 19ft boats where the fish are stocked at 1lb and grow on. All fish were released unharmed to fight another day.

The ILFA wish to thank Donovan Ross and Fred at Eskragh Lough for their support staging this trial and the boatmen Campbell Baird, Joe Quinn, Derek McConville and Brian Kerr for their help during the day.

The next trial will be in Kerry on either the first weekend in September or the first weekend in October.

Cashel Trout Fishery

With unsettled weather at times anglers are put to the test in deciding which fly and when. Maghera’s Bernard Mellon released nineteen trout which took all sorts of buzzers and some dries. Dungiven’s Mark Boyce had a similar experience banking sixteen trout in total over two short days. Paul Rathfield (Limavady) was delighted when he hooked and released four nice trout which took a small yellow lure and small dries. Derry’s Billy Hazlett had an interesting day rising at least a dozen trout but only one for home which weighed 3lb. Sean Mc Williams (Feeny) released three trout which took a suspender buzzer while Derry’s Paul Ford used lures to bank his four great trout. John Hasson (Dungiven) had a challenging time banking four trout which took the wee f-fly and a cat’s whisker. Martin Mellon (Portglenone) released a dozen great trout which fell to assorted dries and buzzers. Larne’s Hugh and Gerald Steele had a challenging day also trying out new things and they are quite new to the sport of fly fishing. They raised a few trout but unfortunately missed a lot too. Keep trying and you will succeed!

Coarse Angling Update

Eastern Region

Kieran Roach reports that Capragh lake just outside Carrickmacross Co. Monaghan has been fishing very well all week for small silver fish (roach and skimmers) with pole and short line. A number of anglers have enjoyed good sport at this popular venue.

There has been very good fishing for roach and skimmer bream at White Island on Lough Muckno. All methods, feeder, waggler and pole have been producing very good results.

There have not been very many anglers fishing on the other lakes in the area.

Quig Lough, Co. Monaghan
Quig Lough is fishing very well for bream and tench with best results produced by feeder fishing. Brian Byrne from Monaghan fishing overnight had 60lb of tench and bream in his session using maggot and corn as hook bait.Kily Boley Lake, Co. Monaghan
Kily Boley Lake has produced some excellent tench during the week, one angler had tench to specimen weight and good numbers of fish around the 4lb mark. Night fishing or early morning is the time when the action seems to happen. Halibut pellet, sweet corn or worm are working as hook bait. Again, feeder fishing is recommended. Rossmore Lakes, Co. Monaghan
We are told Rossmore Lakes are fishing extremely well for roach, bream and rudd. Best results are produced by waggler fishing. One angler had 52lb of mixed fish in a recent session. A permit is required if you wish to fish this water, for further details on this contact Dick Kiernan at Venture Sports Co. Monaghan.Minmurray Lake, Co. Monaghan
This small lake has been fishing well. Anglers feeder fishing during the day time have been catching good bags of bream, reporting some nice fish of 5lb weight. All the stands on the lake are worth fishing from at the moment.Astric Lake, Co. Monaghan
Astric Lake is fishing very well. The lake is very weedy but it is worth raking and clearing a swim, as the tench fishing has been excellent in recent times. The lake is producing tench of between 4 and 5lb. During the week, one angler had two fish of specimen weight. Again, night fishing or early morning is recommended. Float fishing is the preferred option and pre-baiting will pay dividends if you have the opportunity.Corkagh Park, Co. Dublin
During the week Paul Newell, Fishery Manager at Corkagh Park Fishery landed a fine specimen common carp, weighing in at 12lb 8oz. Paul caught this cracker in what he describes as a light south westerly wind, using a floating dog biscuit with pellet band and a size 14 B9/11 kamazan hook. Well done Paul.

Southern Region

The King of the Barrow in Carlow Town.

The annual Coarse angling festival was held in Carlow town on Sunday 1st August and attended by anglers from as far a field as Cork. Some of the Irish Internationals were present as were representatives of the Leinster Federation and local anglers whom fared well in the match. The conditions on the day were fairly good and the whip was the favoured method on the day. Fishing started of on a rapid pace with lots of fish being caught within the first hour and a half of the match however it wasn't long before anglers were using all methods known to them to catch fish. Fish caught on the day ranged from Dace, Roach, Perch to the Hybrid Roach/Bream which was the biggest fish of the day caught by the Traper sponsored and local angler Gerry McStraw of the Carlow club. Overall over 200 Lb's of fish were caught during the match and Neville Martin the new Chairman of the club concluded that the day was a complete success but reflected that he was sorry to see Gerry mc Straw resign from the club. Kevin Hodson 24.30 Lb. Danny Murphy 18.75 Lb. Ambrose Devlin 17.25 Lb.

Shannon

RIVER SHANNON, LANESBOROUGH

Coarse angling has been very quiet on the Shannon in the Lanesborough area, no anglers about by all accounts. This is likely to be due to no hot water from the power station.

STROKESTOWN LAKES AND RIVER SHANNON, CO LONGFORD AREA

Fishing has been good of late with some big Bream and Tench showing early morning on pre-baited swims. However the rain entering the lakes and rivers over the past few days has effected catches in some places. Bream, Hybrids and Roach are still being caught but no big weights. At the time of writing guests from Melview lodge have reported catching some nice Bream, so tune in next week to see what's been caught by the guests staying at Melview Lodge.

Kevin Lyons of Melview Lodge Guest House in Longford decided to have a rest from feeder fishing and managed to find time for a spot of pole fishing, He confined angling to one venue and pre-baited the night before at about 10 meters out. He arrived at 04:30 am, fished for around four or five hours and managed to catch some good Bream and Tench in twelve feet of water. It was worth the early start.

RIVER SHANNON, PORTUMNA

The Sheebeen and Salmon Run stretches are fishing well with good mixed bags of Roach, Skimmers and the odd large Bream showing. Rodgers Island is still closed to vehicles and is largely deserted most days. Generally there are surprisingly few anglers taking advantage of the improved conditions over the last couple of weeks.

RIVER SHANNON, BANAGHER

Angling has been quite good on the Shannon around most venues in the Banagher area, including the grand canal. Catches include skimmers, Roach, Rudd, hybrids and lots of good sized Perch. Angling conditions are good.
Report by Ray Duthie, Angling Centre, Old Forge, Banagher

LOWER RIVER INNY & LOUGH REE

RIVER SUCK VALLEY

Eight anglers reported very lively fishing in the River Suck Valley, comprising mixed bags of small fish, skimmers and hybrids. Paul Mc Loughlin from the White House Hotel had a fine Bream of 7lbs on Lough Lounge. There was a local knock up competition fished locally. The winner was Rory Dunne with 12.5kg. In second place was Bill Cassidy with 7.5kg. Anglers were very satisfied.

Pike Angling Update

Eastern Region

There is very little pike angling activity taking place at the moment. A 17lb pike was reported from Lough Ramor in Virginia in Co. Cavan. Many guides are fishing for other species at the moment and no reports have been received from tackle dealers.

Sea Angling Update

Eastern Region

The continuous westerly and off shore winds have created excellent shore fishing conditions in recent days. Smooth hounds are still turning up at most north Wexford beaches. During the week Nick Parry, Des Chew and Brian Cooke had smooth hounds while fishing Clones Strand. Nick and Des went on to fish Roney Point where they had smooth hounds to 6.5lb. Distance casting is sometimes required and crab is undoubtedly the best bait at the moment. Stay close to your rod as these strong fish could take rod and stand into the surf in a flash.

During the week, there was some excellent tope fishing to be had from boats off Greystones, Co. Wicklow. One group of local anglers had 5 tope in one session ranging from 38lb to 60lb. All fish were taken on mackerel and were tagged and released. Well done lads.

Co Louth and Meath Coastlines

Tope are still being taken around the Louth Coastline especially the North Louth area and marks around Dunany Point Small numbers of bass have also been reported around Dunany Point. Mackerel fishing is still patchy but there are reports of good mackerel fishing at Clogherhead. Pouting and pollack are being taken in Dundalk Bay. Bass are also being taken along the Louth coastline on fly and lure from Dundalk to Cooley. The Boyne estuary is clearing and some mackerel and bass have been taken. At Laytown's south beach, beach anglers have continued to catch bass and flatties on bait.

Dublin to Wexford

Karl from Southside Angling reports that there is great bass fishing in the Wexford area. There are lots of fish being taken in St. Helens and Rosslare. Mullet fishing is good on most inlets piers and estuaries. Mackerel have arrived in better number recently and anglers and catching a lot of mackerel in Dun Laoghaire and Howth. Bass continue to be caught in North County Dublin.

Southern Region

North Western Region

Michael John Nallen of the Belmullet Sea Angling Club hasprovided a round-up ofsea angling in the Belmullet area over the past few weeks. A group of local juvenile anglers enjoyed a great day on Broad Haven Bay under the guidance of Pat Ruddy and Kevin Walsh, boating a total of seven species for the day. Recently the club hosted its second ladies outing of the summer again all anglers had a great day, with six species caught, including some very good sized pollack, and ling up to 12lbs.

The Belmullet Sea Angling Club also held its fourth men’s boat angling competition of the summer, aboard the Gearóidín in Broad Haven Bay. Winning the day was James Mangan with ten varieties, and second was Anthony Matterson with nine varieties. Species caught on the day were red, grey and tub gurnard, pollack, ling, wrasse, whiting, pouting, coalfish, dogfish, flounder and dab.

The 15th-22nd of August will see the Belmullet Sea Angling Club host its annual angling festival, with a full calendar of events throughout the week. On the 15th the shore angling competition will be held, while the 21st and 22nd will see the 39th Annual Sea Angling Festival, Two Day International Boat Competition take place. For entry or further information on the week’s events, contact M.J. Nallen on 097 82093 or Tony Lally on 097 81778.